Love is a losing game: part two
by MoxieChick
Summary: Moxie is ready to confront Benny, but gets an unexpected surprise in the form of Benny's right hand man Swank when she tries to scope out the Tops. F Courier/Swank. Rated M for chapter three.
1. Chapter 1

A steady flow of people went in and out of the Tops as Moxie stood by the NCR monorail station and gathered herself. Despite finding a lady's hat that had a veil she felt as if she were a beacon that Benny would see as soon as she stepped in the door. Wearing a dress wasn't exactly new to her, but after having worn nothing but some form of armor for so long she felt vulnerable.

"You ready?" Boone asked. Somehow she had managed to drag him into this, even though Arcade was much more willing to prance around the casino with her Boone had pointed out that no one would notice an NCR soldier and his "date" but they would notice a follower. Moxie thought Boone was being polite in not pointing out that everyone would notice a very effeminate follower parading his "date" around. She sighed heavily and nodded, squaring her shoulders as they made their way towards the tops.

"Relax. You'll draw more attention if you stand like you're expecting a fight." Boone growled. Moxie threw him a look that said the same thing right back at him, Boone just shrugged and continued on his way.

Taking a deep breath Moxie pushed open the door and entered the Tops. A chairman greeted her and asked her to turn in her weapons, without hesitation she handed all of them in and moved to the side as Boone did the same.

"Hey there baby doll." Moxie resisted the urge to jump and turned to see one of the chairmen leaning over the counter towards her. "What can Swank here do for you to make your visit the tops?" He looked to be around thirty, brown eyes, brown hair, and a smile that'd melt butter. Moxie put on her best smile and mimicked his position on the counter.

"Swank huh? What do you do here, other than just being eye candy for us ladies I mean?" She mentally congratulated herself as the man in front of her preened a little.

"Baby I run this place."

"I thought Benny ran this place." She inquired innocently, doing her best to avoid insulting him.

"He's the boss sure, but I run this place day to day. I'm his right hand man, you dig?" he didn't seem at all phased by her question which reassured Moxie he was a pretty mild guy as House had predicted.

"So what's there to do around here?"

"Anything your little heart desires doll." Swank ran down the list of attractions and the mention of the theatre got Moxie's attention.

"Need any work done around here?" She asked.

"Baby you stick with me you won't have to work a day in your life." He leaned in a little more and if possible his smile got broader.

"Baby you're too good to me, how about you give me some caps so I can go buy myself something pretty?" She had no idea where that had come from, but giving it all she had seemed to be the way to go with this crowd.

"I like the way you think Doll. Here's a hundred caps for you to go buy yourself something swinging for our date tomorrow night." Swank reached into his pocket and pulled out a white drawstring bag. Handing it over to her he paused as she took a hold of it.

"It's a date." Moxie smiled as he let go of the bag and told her to go enjoy the casino. She walked around the desk and Boone easily fell into place beside her.

"That…was impressive." He finally ventured.

"I can't believe that line about buying something pretty worked…any sign of Benny?" She suddenly remembered the reason they were there.

"No, I've scanned the place top to bottom, must be in his room."

They made their way to the Ace's theater. A guy named Tommy seemed to be short on acts to keep the place filled up. After mentioning that she might know a few people in need of work, and negotiating a finder's fee Moxie and Boone settled down into a booth and had a few drinks.

"We're in, now what?" Boone grumbled. Moxie knew he wasn't happy to be stuck in a place that held so many memories of Carla, but she had to get her revenge, and going in guns blazing wouldn't turn out as well in Vegas as it did in the Mojave.

"So far I think I've done pretty well, I've got a date with Benny's right hand man and one of his employee's is singing my praises for bringing in acts." She took a sip of her nuka and vodka and thought for a minute. "I want to see how things play out tomorrow with Swank, maybe see if I can get him alone and show him what I've got on Benny."

"What makes you think he isn't in on the plan?" Boone asked.

"House knows he's not. Even suggested I use Swank to get to Benny…guess I should be thankful he's a sucker for a pretty face." She shrugged. Boone nodded and went back to keeping an eye on the door for any sign of Benny. After a while they decided he was going to be a no show and made their way out of the casino, Swank personally handed Moxie back her weapons.

"Damn baby, you sure do carry more lead than most broads I know. What's your angle?" He eyed her modded 10 mm.

"I'll tell you tomorrow night." She promised as she winked and followed Boone out the door.

"Ring a ding baby." Swank called out after her.


	2. Chapter 2

"So…how do I look?" Moxie made a full circle turn in her new dress and admired the way the fabric lifted as she did.

"I'd ask you out." Moxie noticed that Veronica's eyes were not on her face as she said this.

"I guess I'd ask you out…" Arcade ventured, doing his best to be helpful but failing as usual. The women just looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Don't see why you need to go courting this "Swank" guy anyway, you could just sneak in there with a stealth boy and kill Benny." Cass was lounging in the hall chair, the usual bottle of whiskey in her hand. "What kind of name is Swank anyway?"

"I don't think too many of us have room to talk about odd names, Rose of Sharon Cassidy." Arcade pointed out, the caravan owner glared at him in response.

"Veronica's pretty normal." The scribe pouted as she sat on the edge of a desk. The rest of the group turned to look at Boone and all seemed to be wondering if that was his first or last name. He just scowled in response.

"Well now that we've settled who in the room needs to go to therapy because our parents were drunk when they named us we can focus on the task at hand." Moxie muttered. "Arcade, Veronica the two of you stick close, I'll try to make sure I don't leave your sight." She grabbed her purse and made sure she couldn't pull the fake lining off with a tug and that no one would be able to feel the switchblade hidden inside.

"What about me?" Boone asked.

"You are staying here. Swank has already seen us together and I don't want him getting the wrong idea. Arcade and Veronica can handle anything that comes up." She nodded towards their companions who were now dressed in more formal attire than they were used to. Veronica had nearly deafened the group when Moxie had presented her with a dress from the White Glove society. The scribe had promised to teach her a Brotherhood fighting move when they got back.

"Although I would appreciate it if you two kept your cover, no flirting with the chairmen Arcade and leave the waitresses alone Veronica." Moxie warned, though not unkindly. The two in front of her nodded and began mock flirting with each other, Moxie shook her head.

"I'm so dead." She laughed as the trio made their way into the elevator and out onto the strip.

Despite the threat of being killed twice by the same guy, Moxie felt a slight exhilaration while linking her arms with Arcade and Veronica and strolling towards the Tops. Arcade began crooning Blue Moon to Veronica who giggled in response. They parted ways after entering the Tops, Veronica giving her arm a reassuring squeeze and Arcade winking. Swank whistled as he came around the counter and offered her his arm.

"Baby you is looking platinum." He grinned and steered her towards the Aces theater. A table near the front had been reserved for them and a waiter was standing by to take their drink orders.

"You know what I realized doll?" Swank asked as their drinks were set down. "I was a downright rat and didn't get your name before you took off yesterday."

"Oh…" She gathered herself but still felt a sheepish smile creeping across her lips. "It's Moxie." She shrugged.

"Moxie huh?" He kept smiling, Moxie figured he didn't find her name any stranger than his own. "Where does a gal get a name like that?"

"I was born and raised in New Reno." She figured there was no problem in telling him the truth, the more of his trust she gained the easier it would be to get to Benny. "My parents worked in one of the casinos there."

"So what brought you to Vegas doll?"

"Well, I was working as a singer at the same casino my parents worked for and one of the bosses started getting a little too friendly." Moxie blushed at Swank's raised eyebrow that seemed to remind her that he was a Casino boss too. "He wasn't the sort of man who treated women well, and he didn't like being told no. My dad gave me plenty of caps and sent me on my way. I didn't mind too much, I grew up in New Reno and wanted to see what the rest of the world had to offer." She explained.

"So what have you been doing to survive since then? It's a long way from New Reno." Swank took a swig of his scotch and nodded towards some regulars before giving his full attention back to Moxie.

"I've found that I have a knack for problem solving." She ventured, this was a half truth. He didn't need to know about her courier gig.

"Like finding those acts for Tommy?"

"Yeah, among other things. I've been a bounty hunter for the NCR, an exterminator for Sloan, and even helped out a little around Vegas. You did ask why I carried so many guns." Moxie pointed out at his surprised look.

"That can be pretty messy business baby doll." Swank eyed here a little more closely.

"I don't take jobs that aren't on the level." She shot back. Then gathered her wits and offered an apologetic smile. "I don't need money, so I tend to help those who can't help themselves. The bounty hunter gig was more about getting back at some fiends for something they did to a friend." She muttered.

"You sure do live up to your name doll." The man in front of her was regarding her with something she would liken to respect. "You said you were a singer in New Reno. Why didn't you offer to be a new act for Tommy?" New drinks had been set down and Moxie's confidence had risen a little with each nuka and vodka.

"I haven't sung since New Reno." She replied, surprised to realize it was true, she hadn't felt much like singing, especially since Goodsprings. "Don't know why I didn't mention it to him, just got sidetracked I guess." Moxie gave Swank a pointed look.

"How about you audition with Tommy tomorrow, just you, me, and him?"

Moxie bit her lip before nodding. "Alright, but no one else, if I've lost my touch I don't need the whole casino laughing at me." She joked.

"Your parents worked for a casino in New Reno, right? Was one of them a singer too?" Swank's hand snaked its way across the table and held hers. Moxie was surprised at the gesture but didn't remove her hand from his grasp.

"No…well, I say mom and dad but they aren't my real parents." The woman sighed. "I was born in a hospital in New Reno but my biological mother ran off." The woman held up her free hand when Swank looked like he was about to say something, it was all in the past now. "The man and woman who raised me were friends of the doctor that delivered me, they were too old to have kids of their own so they took me in, and named me, though why they picked Moxie they never really said."

Swank chuckled at this and continued asking about her life in New Reno, her job as a problem solver, and how she liked the strip. The courier managed to get a few questions about her date in as well, asking him his thoughts on the players in New Vegas as well as in the Wastes. She pleased to note that he was not a fan of the legion and that he respected House. Moxie found herself actually forgetting about Benny for a while and just having fun, something she hadn't really expected.

After Swank finished telling her about a bunch of drunken NCR girls that had run half naked through the Tops after going for a swim in the Ultra Luxe's fountain he looked around the room at some of the couples dancing.

"You swing doll?" He held out his hand and led Moxie onto the dance floor as Bruce, one of the new acts, took the stage. "You brought this cat in didn't you?"

"He was a singer in New Reno, got a little too close to one of the casino owner's daughters and had to skip town, but he's a hell of a singer." She laughed.

"Dust whirls on the plain, making patterns as we walk down lover's lane. Seems that each new step is somehow preordained, I've not traveled this way before." Bruce crooned. Moxie glanced over to see Arcade and Veronica dancing nearby, both trying not to laugh. She smiled and found herself leaning into Swank as he swayed with her to the music.

"What happened to that soldier boy you walked in with yesterday?" He asked as if the thought had just struck him.

"He's in his room at the Wrangler." Again a half truth was better than nothing.

"Should I be worried about him coming after me for stealing his girl?" Swank grinned as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"I'm not his girl. We have a strictly business relationship." Moxie replied. Her date raised an eyebrow at this. "I helped him solve a problem and he's become like a bodyguard…I guess it's his way of saying thanks."

"Still, traveling the wastes together like that?"

"We're usually not alone. And he's…a widower." Moxie sighed. "He loved his wife more than anything, and I respect that." She gave Swank a small smile and figured it'd shut him up if she wrapped her arms around his neck a little more and moved a little closer, it did.

They swayed back and forth to the music and Moxie found herself taking note of Swank's lean body and broad shoulders. He had said earlier that Mr. House had taken them out of the waste and gave them everything they had, before that he had said they were just a bunch of hooligans sitting in the desert. She knew he meant they had been tribal, but she couldn't quite see the clean cut man in front of her poking around the in the desert with a stick. The image of him with his now perfectly combed hair all tussled and nothing but leather leggings on brought a rather suggestive image to mind that made Moxie giggle.

"What's so funny Doll?" Swank murmured against her hair.

"Just a little giddy from the drinks I think." She replied with as much dignity as she could muster.

"Maybe you should have a few more, you've got a nice laugh." He said as he held her even closer. Moxie rested her head against Swank's shoulder and smiled gently as thoughts of Benny, House, and the rest of the world disappeared. The music faded and they parted reluctantly before heading back to their table where a new round of drinks was waiting for them.

"You're not quite the broad I was expecting when I asked you out yesterday, but I think I got more than I expected, in a good way." Swank stumbled through his words and rubbed the back of his neck. "Would you, like to see the courtyard?" He asked, and if it weren't for the drinks Moxie would have sworn he sounded shy about it. She nodded and found herself feeling a little thrill as she took his arm, barely remembering to nod at Arcade and Veronica as they passed their booth. Her companions nodded back and got up to follow, it wasn't until they reached the courtyard doors that Moxie realized there might be a problem. Swank whispered something to the guards at the door and within five minutes the last of the loungers had been removed from the courtyard and it was clear no one but the two of them were going to enjoy the moonlit oasis.


	3. Chapter 3

The courtyard was lit only by the full moon as Moxie walked out onto the concrete patio and looked around nervously, expecting an ambush. Swank joined her and gave her a reassuring smile for what he probably thought was her nerves before he led her to the edge of the pool and began to loosen his tie.

"Swank…" Moxie started to reach towards the scar on her forehead to massage it but stopped herself. "I told you I'm a problem solver…well you get a little banged up in that line of work." She sighed. It wasn't her body she was shy about but the random scars upon it. Most men in the Mojave probably wouldn't think anything of a girl with a few scars, but the chairmen were used to city girls who had skin as clean and fresh as porcelain. The woman looked shyly away and rubbed at her arm absently, surprised when she felt Swank's hand lift up her chin to look at him.

"I told you kid, not too long ago we were all squattin in the desert poking at things with pointy sticks." He pulled off his undershirt and put Moxie's hand on a jagged scar that ran across his taunt abdomen. _Damn_, Moxie thought as her fingers traced the scar and she felt nothing but muscle underneath them.

"Got that in a knife fight against some fiends, nasty cats they are." Swank reached around Moxie and began unzipping her dress, making her lean into his chest. "Anything you got just shows me that you're livin up to that name of yours." He murmured as he pressed his lips to hers.

Moxie undressed in a daze, mind screaming at her that she was going to get herself killed being so careless, but for some reason she didn't care. With just her undershirt and panties on she followed her enemy's right hand man into the water. It felt refreshing to just lie on her back and float on top of the water with Swank doing the same beside her. She thought the silence would be awkward but instead it was as comfortable as when they had been talking each other's heads off.

"You ever been skinny dipping doll?" Swank finally asked as he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the deep end of the pool with a sly smile.

"Kind of have to if you want to bathe in the wastes." She replied, the pit of her stomach taking on a funny feeling at the glint in his eyes. As the man in front of her slipped his boxers off the courier found herself slipping off her own undergarments with a challenging smile.

The water was chilly but the woman felt like her skin was on fire as Swank pinned her against the side of the pool, and began nipping at her neck while she ran her hands idly over his shoulders and through his damp hair. Moxie thanked whatever greater power was out there that they were partially hidden under the diving board. The chairmen's lips moved to hers and the woman gasped as he slid his tongue into her mouth and explored it thoroughly. Pulling away, Swank's half lidded eyes widened as he caught sight of the scar on her forehead. Moxie froze, no longer sure if he knew about Benny's plans or not, she thought of how awful it'd be to run through the Tops buck naked taking out as many chairmen as she could along the way. Instead she felt her chest tighten strangely as the man before her leaned in and kissed the scar tenderly.

"Just living up to that name kid." He whispered.

It was then that something in Moxie snapped and she kissed him with everything she had, hands gripping the back of his neck like a life support. This spurred Swank on and he snaked a hand down her torso and in between her legs, slowly pumping two fingers into her as he moved his mouth to her breasts. Moxie arched herself against him and moaned, her hands once again began to roam his body. It didn't take long for her to find herself moaning his name in a desperate plea. He obliged as he hitched her up then levered himself as he slowly entered her, letting out a ragged breath as he did. Being in the pool didn't allow them much room to be creative but Moxie didn't care, all she could do was try and muffle her cries against the crook of Swank's neck as he thrust into her and the pressure inside mounted. It soon became too much and she dug her nails into his back as she hit her climax and felt oddly satisfied at the desperate sound Swank made and the warmth of him inside her as he came a moment later.

Whatever Tops pun she'd been expecting as she recovered never came. Instead Swank looked at her with a glint in his eyes and that smile of his as he tried to calm his breathing.

"You okay there Doll?"

The courier placed her hand on the side of his face and kissed him yet again. "You sure know how to show a girl a good time." Moxie murmured. Swank chuckled as he kissed her back.

She let herself be led back to the stairs of the pool and watched with a smirk as Swank got out and strolled bare ass to a nearby lounge chair and retrieved some towels.

"Enjoy the view kid?" He asked as he handed her a towel.

"Immensely."

They dressed in silence but Moxie could feel Swank's eyes moving over her body as she slipped the dress back on. They walked casually through the casino, gaining only a few odd looks from gambles at their wet and disheveled appearance. Reaching the strip Swank stopped and pulled Moxie over to a dark corner of the building.

"If you're as good at singing as you are at screwin then you're going to blow Tommy away tomorrow." He kissed her as she opened her mouth to make some lewd comment back at him. "Just giving you your due pussycat." The chairmen chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Moxie's waist.

"Hmph." She couldn't quite bring herself to extract herself from his arms.

"I've gotta get back before Benny clocks me for neglecting my duties, but come by tomorrow around three and we'll talk with Tommy about setting you up an act." Swank leaned down to whisper in her ear. "And then maybe we'll hold a private audition in my room."

"Wouldn't miss it for all the caps in Vegas." Moxie murmured back, her heart skipped a few beats as they kissed goodbye. She headed for the Lucky 38 in a daze, not really seeing anything until she literally ran into Arcade who was waiting for her by the gates.

"Whoa there!" Arcade laughed as he steadied her. The scientist looked her over and gave a sly grin. "Things went well?"

"Yeah, a little too well," Moxie replied as she blushed and looked around. "Where's Veronica?"

"She had a little too much to drink and is probably emptying her stomach in the bathroom of the room we rented…" He gave her a sheepish look as she raised her eyebrow. "When we couldn't follow you to the courtyard we rented a room on the second floor of the Tops and took some Cateye so we could keep an eye on you... Swank's got a nice ass." The scientist finished, nudging Moxie in the ribs playfully.

"Yeah…" The courier could feel her cheeks burning as she realized that anyone in the Tops hotel with some cateye lying around could have seen her and Swank jumping each others bones in the pool.

"This is not good." She mumbled as she led the way back to her suite, Arcade trailing behind. Boone stood up from the hall chair as they came out of the elevator but stopped when he saw Moxie's disheveled appearance.

"Hope you at least talked to him about Benny." He muttered. The ex sniper growled when the courier looked away from him. "Is that your plan? Screw all the Chairmen until they help you take down Benny?"

"Hey, she was just enjoying herself…" Arcade tried defensively, but looked at the floor as Boone turned his glare upon him. The former soldier shot one last contempt filled look at the woman before storming into the spare bedroom.

"He's right." Moxie sighed as she walked into the kitchen and sat down. "I should have just told Swank about Benny as soon as I had the chance. Now, well…it's going to be a bit more complicated." She grabbed a bottle of scotch off the table and took a long drink. "Swank wants me to audition for the Tops, told him about singing in New Reno. I'll try to make this work to my advantage."

"Won't Benny get the drop on you if you're working for him?" Cass pointed out.

"Swank said he's been holed up in his room for a while now, barely comes out except in the early evening to make his rounds and say hi to the chairmen, he never goes to see the shows." The courier took another drink and winced at the taste.

"Working for the Tops will give me access to more of the building without causing suspicion and probably allow me to take weapons inside." The plan was slowly building, but she was going to have to pray like hell that Benny wasn't going to have time for the shows, and that Swank wouldn't throw her out on her ass or shoot her himself when she told him her story.

"You're not in love with him? Are you Boss?" Raul asked tentatively. "Cause from my long, long observation of humanity, love is the quickest way to an early grave."

"Actually people who are in love tend to live longer," Arcade said with a raised eyebrow. "Because they're happy."

"I meant because you do stupid things when you're in love." Raul replied, giving the follower a sad shake of the head. "Trust me when I say that love is a losing game. You could have the ace of hearts up your sleeve, but you know someone else is holding the ace of spades."

"It's not love." Moxie growled as she took another, larger, drink from the bottle in front of her. "So just drop it, okay?"

"Okay Boss, just lookin out for ya is all." The ghoul looked the woman over one last time before leaving the kitchen, but Arcade walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. Moxie put her hand over his and gave it a reassuring squeeze before the man let go and left too. Cass didn't leave but seemed content to sit in annoyed silence as she downed yet another bottle of whiskey.

_Is it love?_ Moxie wondered as she finished off the scotch. She had certainly never felt this way after a date before, like she was afraid and excited to see Swank again the next day. He hadn't been what she'd expected going into this at all. The courier had figured that she would go in, get Swank alone, and confront him with her evidence on Benny…instead she had let him wine and dine her, and even…

Moxie felt her face flush and left the kitchen to find blessed solitude in her own room. Raul was right, no good would come of falling in love with the chairman. Look at what love had gotten her friends. Raul had lost his entire family, and had spent around two hundred years mourning the loss of his little sister. Veronica was still young but she had certainly felt rejection in love, both from her former lover and her Brotherhood family. Arcade had confessed that though he had many lovers in the past that he had never really become close to them for fear of rejection for his family history, whatever that was. And Boone….well…

The courier sighed and pulled one of the many teddy bears that littered her bed to her chest. Boone broke her heart. It wasn't that she loved him, at least, not in a romantic way, but she hated seeing him hurt so much when none of it was his fault. If she ever met the commanding officer who had given the first recon their orders at Bitter Springs she'd punch him for what he'd done to Boone's mental health.

Then there was that whole ordeal with Carla…Moxie didn't know if Boone's wife had been a bitch like Manny had said, but no one deserved to be sold to the legion. She didn't blame Boone one bit for doing what he had done, if she was ever captured by the legion she could only hope he'd do the same for her. But having to kill the person you love? Knowing that in the same bullet you're killing your unborn child? Moxie shuddered and clutched the bear tighter.

The whole Novac scene had been completely fucked up. Boone was so madly in love with Carla, but was so loyal to his friend that he couldn't leave even though Carla had clearly wanted to. Then to make matters worse for him his wife and his best friend had hated the hell out of each other. Though, from what Arcade had gathered on a return visit to Novac (sans Boone), Manny might have had other reasons for hating Carla that were a little closer to the heart

_Again, love is a losing game…_ Moxie reminded herself. She knew that Boone wasn't mad at her for enjoying herself with a guy, he was mad because she was taking stupid risks and putting herself in danger. One wrong move and Benny could corner her in the Tops and kill her…again. Things were going to get a lot tougher for her after the audition, especially if all continued to go well with Swank. She wasn't sure if she was in love with the guy, but she sure as hell knew she couldn't stay away from him either. The courier gave a sardonic laugh as she thought of what a sick sense of humor God had and how, when it came to love, Benny had been right on the money…

_The game was rigged from the start. _


End file.
